Sims 3 Details Online Feature Set

Electronic Arts have revealed the online features of The Sims 3.The Sims 3 will feature an online store, which allows players to download exclusive items, whether clothing or furniture. These will use their own money system – SimPoints – which can be bought in bundles of 500, 1000, and 2000, and will support most forms of payment, including credit cards and PayPal. On registering their copy of The Sims 3 online, players will be given £6 GBP worth of points free.The game’s launcher is another key component of the online featurelist, as it will have news about game updates, allows players to track downloads, features a media portfolio letting players check out the photos and videos they record during play, and upload them. Likewise, new content in the store will be shown off here, as well as localised promotions.We’re also told that, while the launch copy of the game will onlyinclude one town, a second – Riverview – will be available for download, on launch, from the official Sims 3 website.The Sims 3 website is the other major thing. As with The Sims 2, it will have featured items, most popular downloads, and the like, but will also have tools for “Create a Movie” and “Create a Story.” These can then be embedded on external websites or shared to friends via email links.”One example of the many online tools we’ve added to the game is the Create a Movie tool,” said Ben Bell, the executive producer of The Sims 3. “Within the game, players can easily set up the camera angle they want, capture in-game footage, play director and producer and then post their movies online to show off to the world.”And, of course, there’ll be a profile page, where you can blog, look at any user’s movies, stories, and object, post news, track favourites, and set up a personal avatar. Phew.The Sims 3 is due out for PC and Mac on 5 June, 2009.